Broken Promises
by sushi-genius
Summary: London 1910. She thought he was mad but yet she melted into his arms when she met him. He was her brother's arch rival. It was wrong before they even begin. SS
1. Chapter 1

A/N This is a new story that I have written, something different from 'The forbidden'. It had been on my mind for a while before I actually wrote it out. This is more of a historical romance and I am going to play with it for a while.

* * *

Broken promises 

By sushi-genius

* * *

London, 1910 

She thought that he was mad.

That was the first thought that went through Sakura Kinomoto's mind when she first laid her eyes on the Duke of Wolfne. It was no ordinary meeting. There was no introduction between both of them, no dances nor even words of greeting.

Though she had never laid eyes on him until this very night, she had heard enough about him from her brother, the Marquess of Havenwood. Both went to Eton together but do not be mistaken that they were the best of friends. In fact they were far from it! Touya hated him with deep passion though the reason was not clear to her, she had heard murmurs that Li had stolen the girl Touya had been eyeing for right under his nose. For that, a duel had almost been fought but it had been prevented when Li had left for London on that very same day.

"That coward!" Touya had hissed under his breath when he had learnt of Li's departure. It was only due to the presence of his little sister that he had prevented from swearing profusely in front of many others. It was known to all that the Marquess of Havenwood was seriously overprotective of his younger sibling. It was the sole reason why many suitors have been dissuaded upon having her hand in marriage.

Though the Marquess's interference been one of the main reasons why Sakura was still unwedded, she herself had a role to play. Many a times a suitor would accompany her into the park only to come out drenched from head to toe upon rescuing her bonnet. And if that was not enough, She had a fierce companion that was half wolf and half dog that would growl fiercely at any men that would dare come near his mistress.

Her dear mother had often dismayed of her only daughter having had three seasons with many offers of marriage, still unwed. She had often cried out to her husband of this problem only to be met with chuckles from her husband. Many of her friend's daughters had been married with their first two seasons with fine catches.

Sakura knew her mother loved her very much but having been thrusted from one suitor to another and having mindless conversations, she was fed up and had told her mother that she was to become a spinster. Having heard that, her mother promptly burst into tears and it ended with Sakura promising her mother fervently that she would get married before her third season ended.

She had often complained to her brother only to be met with a pitying smile. Her brother was considered one of the best catches in the ton, being next in line for a dukedom. However, being only seven and twenty years of age, he had a long way to go before he would even settle down yet. Sakura, on the other hand, was twenty years old and was quite past the age of getting married.

She had once commented to her friend, Tomoyo, the Countess of Greywood that if she had met a suitor with half the bravery of her pet and the character and adoration of her brother, she would marry him without any complains. So far, she had never met a man meeting all of her expectations.

Her brother had told her to marry for love, just like their parents, having marriages unlike most of the ton. "Sakura, you can marry anyone you like and I will support you as long as you love him," Touya had told her with a grim smile. "Even if I may dislike him with great passion." She had then promised her brother that she would not like anyone he disliked as he was always behind her in no matter what she did.

She did not know that her promise to her brother would be tested the moment she met Syaoran Li.

-

-

-

-

She had arrived at the Lutherford's engagement party with her parents and her brother. Her hair was up in a chignon with a flower hairclip to hold it up. Dressed in an emerald gown that showed just a hint of her bosom and a beautiful emerald necklace around her, she smiled brightly as she descended down the stairs with her arm around her brother's. They were a striking pair, the two of them. He was dark as she was light. Many of the ton had commented the fortune of their parents of having two beautiful children. Touya was tall and handsome like his father while Sakura was beautiful and petite like her mother.

Her beautiful emerald eyes brightened when she saw her best friend in the crowd. Disengaging her hand from her brother's, she rushed forward to join her friend, smiling at the greetings of everyone. Touya followed behind her. It was his duty to look after her since young. He could still remember the first time he saw her, all tiny and fragile in his mother's arms and she saw him, she broke into a toothless smile as though recognizing him as her brother.

As he walked behind her, he glared at any men whose looks have become too forward. It was true that Sakura had blossomed into a beauty. Since young, her eyes were the most captivating part of her features, sometimes darkening into moss green when angered. Touya had once too many times witnessed fierce suitors turning into milksops when his sister had focused her attention on them.

He swore under his breath when he saw the attention his sister's gown was attracting. He could see the lust lingering in many eyes when they fell upon her figure. Although her gown was not the least bit provocative, it still managed to outline all the curves she had to the maximum. Fighting the urge to remove his coat and covering her with it, he walked next to his sister, shooting a warning glance at all around. The lewd glances immediately stopped. Everyone knew how good the Marquess of Havenwood was with a pistol as well as with a sword.

"Having fun Touya?" Tomoyo asked, trying to control her giggles. She also had seen the attention Sakura had been attracting. In fact everyone knew except the person herself. Most of the times, Sakura was even oblivious to her own looks.

Touya refused to comment, his face darkening with displeasure.

"Why is it whenever you come out with me you seem to be in a bad mood?" Sakura asked her brother, her brows furrowed with worry. "I told you that if you were not free you need not accompany me. Otousan and Okaasan are here. You need not worry about me."

Touya rolled his eyes, his exasperation obvious. "It is not that. It is just that I don't like the looks that they give you."

"Who?" Sakura asked innocently. Touya sighed. Sometimes his sister was as dense as a doorknob.

"Nothing. Look stay put here while I go and greet my friend and I will come back as soon as possible."

"Don't," Touya continued, staring intensely at his sister. "leave this spot unless you have a valid reason to."

"What if I have to freshen up?" She smiled sweetly at her brother while inside she was seething. Sometimes his over protectiveness irritated the hell out of her. Even her father was not as overbearing as he was.

His hard glare showed that he was not amused. With a curt nod, he turned and went to mingle with his friends.

Sakura sighed. At times it seemed almost impossible to get Touya to leave her alone in parties like this. "Is he still looking back?" Sakura asked, a bitter smile on his lips. Tomoyo shook her head.

"Sometimes," Sakura confined. "Having Touya around is like having a ball and chain shackled around you. And I thought that only applied to men who are married!"

Both of them immediately burst into laughter, drawing attention around them. Mopping up the corner of her eyes, Tomoyo agreed. "I don't know how you are ever going to get married. However, his love for you is a bit endearing. If I was not married, I am sure I would have fallen for him myself."

Sakura smiled. Tomoyo's marriage to Eriol, the Earl of Greywood, was the talk of the ton two years ago. Their match was not a love match at first, in fact all they could do was not to kill each other within the month of their marriage. Somehow, they fell in love with each other along the way, often seen shooting endearing looks at each other even from a distance. That was the type of marriage Sakura wanted, not the type where the husband and wife went their separate ways, only recognizing each other in bed. However that was the type of marriage which most of the couples in the ton had.

"Speaking of which, where is your handsome prince charming?" Sakura murmured, lifting a glass of champagne to her lips. The cold liquid felt like heaven against her throat.

Tomoyo's face brightened up at the thought of her husband. "He is over there, talking business with the Baron of Treywood. You know him. Politics and all. I would be bored to death if I had to stand next to him. So in order not to sleep on my feet, I decided to wait for you."

"By the way," Tomoyo's voice lowered into a whisper. "Did you know that the Duke of Wolfne is back?"

"Who? The old Duke?" Sakura questioned, puzzled over Tomoyo's behavior. She had never once showed an interest in the Duke of Wolfne. He was a handsome man in his sixties who seldom showed his face in the ton.

"No. The old Duke passed away a month ago and his son had taken over his place as the new Duke of Wolfne. I heard that he is going to show up tonight" Seeing Sakura's confused look, Tomoyo continued, "Your brother's arch enemy, Syaoran Li is the new Duke of Wolfne!"

Unfazed by the news, Sakura continued to sip her champagne, looking nonchalant. "Duke or no duke, my impression of him will not change. Although I have not had the displeasure of meeting him before, I am sure I will not feel left out. I had heard many horrid tales of him for Touya."

Hesitant to point out that Touya's views may be biased as well as that her husband are on good terms with the new duke, Tomoyo just kept quiet. Oblivious to Tomoyo's sudden silence, Sakura carried on, "I am sure that just as Touya had said, Li is an incorrigible scoundrel who has changed as many women as he does clothes and does not have a single compassionate bone in his entire body."

Tomoyo had a scandalized expression on her face. "Touya should learn to curb his tongue around you. Imagine the uproar you would cause if you repeated that everywhere!"

Sakura shrugged. "He did not tell that directly to me. I overhead his conversation one day, with his friend outside his study. You know how Touya tries to control his language around me. Ever since when I was nine and I heard him using the word 'hell' once, I used it in every sentence that I said. Touya had gotten his ears blistered by my mother then for using such language in front of me."

"Poor Touya," Tomoyo sympathized, shaking her head. "I bet you purposely did it to get him into trouble. The problem is that your innocent face makes people believe that you are incapable of doing such things."

Sakura laughed. It was an appealing sound that lingered around. "Come. Let's tour around the house. I heard that the rooms here are as every bit delightful as they are welcoming."

Being the elder between the two of them by two years, Tomoyo was the more sensible one. "But didn't your brother asked you to stay put?"

With a sly grin on her face and her emerald eyes twinkling. Sakura made a very fetching picture. "He did say so but I have a valid reason to leave."

"And what reason is that?" Tomoyo begin to feel nervous. At times, Sakura was too rebellious for her own good. She had known Sakura for a long time to know that it was hard for Sakura to take orders and carry them out obediently. Instead, she would twist and turn the words until it seemed as though it was the person's fault for not stating it clearly.

"I need to 'freshen up' or I will go mad with waiting," Sakura concluded, fanning herself dramatically with her hand. She looked exactly of an overheated female. "The heat here is excruciating. I think I might faint."

Tomoyo immediately became worried. She could not handle this situation herself if Sakura had indeed fainted. "You wait here! I go and get some smelling salts. I am sure Lady Lutherford have some around here."

Sakura waited until Tomoyo went out of her sight before straightening up. Tomoyo was acting just like a mother hen! She was not like that before, always joining Sakura in her tricks. Marriage had changed her. Tomoyo became less playful and more motherly. It was not that Sakura disliked Tomoyo getting married, she was happy for Tomoyo as Tomoyo was happier than ever before. However, somehow it was taking Tomoyo away from her. Marriage changes people and she was afraid of it.

Upon seeing Tomoyo coming back, Sakura quickly walked into the sea of people, hiding from Tomoyo's sight. She turned and walked to the balcony, hiding at the corner. She heaved a sigh of relief, she needed some time alone for a while and between Touya and Tomoyo, all she could do was to breathe as much as she could before being suffocated.

The balcony was long and turned at a corner where she was hiding. Luckily there was no one out here, many enjoying the dances and music inside. Sakura took a step forward, inhaling the fresh air. She was being stifled inside with the strong smells of perfume and cologne that she had longed to step out long ago.

Upon hearing people coming, she quickly pressed herself against the pillar, trying to blend in with the surroundings. She felt relief when she saw that it was not her brother or Tomoyo coming to look for her.

A couple had walked out of the room and onto the balcony, hoping for some privacy. Sakura winced at the woman's high pitched voice and laughter. "Well my lord. Now that we are out here, what do you plan to do with me?"

The man replied. His voice was deep and husky and it sent chills down Sakura's spine. "I suppose I could kiss you?"

Sakura's eyes widened. Just her luck to witness an intimate scene from a couple. She was literally trapped, the only way to go into the room was through that door which she had entered from. However if she was to present herself, it will most certainly be a most embarrassing situation for the three of them.

Sakura closed her eyes just as she saw the man lowering his face to the lady's. The moans of the lady were most arousing and she could definitely see that the man enjoyed it, lust obvious in his amber eyes.

Opening her eyes to see if they left, Sakura looked and nearly collapsed against the pillar in shock. The lady's gown was lowered until her heavy breasts were bared for everyone's view and the man was shocking trailing down kisses on her chest. Sakura's stomach tightened in disgust at the image they presented. Why could not they get a room? It was blatantly obvious what they were doing for those in the room even if they did not see it as the sounds coming from the lady would surely alert the whole of London!

Thankfully, after a while the man lifted up his head from the lady's chest. Pulling the lady's dress up, she could hear him murmuring against the lady's ear. "Pray we will continue with this another day. Any longer and your husband would be looking for you."

An adultery! Although Sakura was not so innocent until she did not know that many of the members of the ton took lovers even when they were married, she was still shock at the infidelity of the woman. Marriage was suppose to be sacred!

The lady pressed a kiss against the man's lips before bowing and left the balcony. To Sakura's dismay, the man did not follow but instead lingered at the balcony, smoking a cigar. She was going to be stuck here forever!

She took a step back. Unaware of the plant behind, she crashed against it, upsetting the pot. "Damn it," Sakura cursed. It was most unladylike but it had escaped out of her mouth unknowingly.

The sound startled the man who walked around and spotted her. She did not notice his presence as she was occupied with setting the pot straight. She stood up and turned, crashing into his solid chest. She felt as though she had struck a wall.

She looked up and gasped. It was the man just now and the worst of all was that he was devastatingly handsome. He was tall, at about six feet around the height of her brother. His brown hair looked windblown and messy but yet added to his appeal. The most obvious feature was his amber eyes that were piercing and cold. He had a strong jaw line with a small cleft in his chin. He was absolutely masculine was radiating sex appeal.

"Now what do we have here?" His husky voice appealed and frightened her. She had never met a man like him before. His body was radiating strength and power. None of her suitors had the raw appeal as he had. She flinched when his hand caressed her face. "Spying?"

She shook her head, the ability to speak gone. Her voice was robbed by this impressive man in front of her. She walked back until she felt the pillar against her back. There was no where to escape this man in front of her.

"I have never seen you before and if I have, I am sure I would not have forgotten a face like yours," he murmured, his words weaving a spell on her. She froze, her mind robbed of the ability to think as his hand reached up to her hair. "What lovely hair you have. All soft and silky. It's a pity it is all tied up."

With that, he removed the hair clip and her long tresses tumbled down in waves and curls down her back. "Now that is better," he whispered, his lips dangerously close to her ear. Sakura felt a shiver down her spine. "You look so seductive and yet so innocent this way."

Sakura was confused. She could not understand her attraction to his man. He was dangerous and she knew she was playing with fire. Yet, she felt herself rooted to the ground as he weaved his spell around her.

"I-I-I. . .," Sakura managed to stumble out but stopped when she felt his thumb grazing her lips. His thumb moved back and for, each touch sending a shock down her spine. "Your lips are so soft and appealing. I wonder if you have been kissed many times before."

Caught in the moment, Sakura shook her head. The man smiled, his white teeth contrasted against the tan of his skin. "Then," he said, his lips descending down. "let me teach you."

The moment his lips touched hers, Sakura froze. Her mind blank. The man molded his lips against hers, licking the corner of her lips. She was pressed up against the pillar with his body and she could feel the hard contours of his body. A strange feeling pooled in her stomach as she held on to him, his arms bulging with muscle.

She let a moan, clinging desperately onto him as she felt her legs give way. His kisses were urgent and passionate and she felt that with her body. His arms went around her, pressing her against him. He could feel the softness of her body, inhale her sweet scent. She was unlike the woman he had just held, unlike any women he had taken before. He could feel her breasts straining against her gown, their softness pressing against his chest.

He growled, a sense of desire shot through him. His tongue probed into her mouth and when she granted him entrance, he slipped his tongue between their joined mouths and tasted her sweetness. He wanted more. He wanted all of it. He wanted her soft and willing in his bed and when he had her, he would repeat it all over again.

He was drugging her, she thought, intoxicated. He was invoking a feeling that she had never felt before. She had been kissed before, kisses stolen from urgent suitors but she had never been kissed before. So thoroughly and she liked it. Hesitantly, she touched her tongue to his lips and the kiss exploded.

The kiss deepened and soon she was tasting him as well. Her hands traveled down his chest, feeling the tightening of his muscles. He lifted his lips from hers and proceeded to kiss her neck. His breath on her neck made her hairs stand. She ran her hands through his hair, marveling at its softness.

His lips trailed lower and lower and was about to meet her breasts when Touya's voice shouted out. "Sakura! Damn it! Sakura, where are you?"

Sakura's mind cleared through the haze of passion and jumped back in shock. She behaved like a brazened hussy. Totally unacceptable of a lady of her status and kind. She would be ruined for life if anyone saw her and her family would be disgraced.

The man took a step backwards, his face entering shock. Sakura felt like crying. What had possessed her to behave in such a manner? Now he would think that she was a cheap woman when she was actually the daughter of a duke!

Sakura bowed her head and was about to flee when he grabbed hold of her hand. "Who are you?" he demanded, lust and desire gone from his eyes, leaving coldness.

Sakura hesitated as Touya's calls grew louder and louder. Surely by now, everyone in the ballroom would have learnt of her disappearance. She tried to pull her arm away, only to have him tighten his grip. "Sakura Kinomoto, the daughter of the Duke of Havenwood."

She could have sworn that upon her announcement, his face grew grim and darken. His amber eyes grew colder until she could see shards of amber in them. He immediately released her hand and without looking back, she ran into the room.

She nearly ran passed Touya who was shouting furiously for her. He grabbed hold of her and held her against his chest. She fought against her captor only stopping upon realizing that he was her mother. She buried her head against the folds of his cravat and started shivering.

Touya was about to wretch her away from him and give her a good lecture when he felt her shivers. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close, murmur words of comfort to her.

Sakura could feel tears filling up her eyes. If only Touya knew what she had been doing outside the balcony with the stranger. He would be furious. He hunt for the man and when he found him, he would do him bodily harm for making use of her innocence.

The only thing was that she welcomed the man's kisses and the passion that rose within her was real. She wanted to feel it again. She knew she was shameless for wanting so and that was why she could not forgive herself.

Touya pulled her from his arms when the last of her shivers subsided. He could see that his sister was vexed, her eyes filled up with tears. He could feel his heart wrenching. Someone had done something upsetting to her and he was going to do something about it.

"What is wrong?" Touya asked, worry evident in his eyes as he raised his sister's face up. He could see that her lip trembled, her eyes not meeting his. "What happen to your hair?"

"I fell down," Sakura lied, her face flushed. She could not tell him the truth. "My hair got caught in a plant when I fell. That's why it had gotten undone."

Stroking her hair softly, Touya smiled. "That's nothing to get upset about. Why the problem with you females is that you get your emotions in the way of everything! Crying at the slightest thing!"

He chuckled when his sister glared at him. She was going to be alright. She was just shocked by her fall. For a moment, he thought that she had been subjected to a man's unwanted attentions. If that happened, he would blame himself for not looking after her.

"I thought I told you to stay put!" he reprimanded, getting angry at that thought. "Next time I must tie you to a pillar."

"I did. I was getting so suffocated and overheated that I went to the balcony to get fresh air!" she argued.

His anger dissipated. After all it was not easy for his sister to stay put. He sighed, not knowing what to do with her. Suddenly he stiffened, his eyes grew cold and hard.

Sensing the sudden change in her brother's behavior, Sakura turned to look what he was looking at. She felt a sudden panic when she saw her brother eyeing the very same stranger she was with a few moments ago. Had her brother seen what took place at the balcony?

Tomoyo appeared and handled a glass of champagne to Sakura. "Where did you go?" Tomoyo asked, disapproval obvious in her eyes.

Sakura ignored her question. Her eyes never wavering from the stranger that was pointedly staring at her now, his amber gaze piercing. "Who is that man that Touya is glaring at?"

Somehow in her heart she knew the answer and that scared her to bits. Not only did she betray her brother, she had been in a passionate embrace with him. She needed to get out of there fast, before Touya found out, before everything went out of control.

She felt faint for real and she held on to her brother's arms for support. Her world begin to spin "I think I am going to swoon," she whispered to herself.

No one heard her, Touya and Tomoyo were both staring at the stranger.

Answering Sakura's question without taking her glaze away from the man, Tomoyo replied. "Syaoran Li, the new Duke of Wolfne."

With that, Sakura's legs gave way and she fainted in her brother's arms.

-

-

* * *

A/N so how was it? This is very different from what I have been writing so far and I hope that you all enjoyed it. 

Review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N I was very surprised and pleased with the number of reviews and comments I had with the previous chapter. I thought that I would get a small response as I was not sure if many readers like historical romances.

I would like to thank Monkeypants87 for helping me to explain the meaning of 'Ton'. For those who do not know the meaning, please look at my reviews, to find out the meaning.

For those that are reading my other fantic 'The Forbidden'. I am currently writing it halfway, so hopefully the next chapter would be out soon.

-

Broken promises

By sushi-genius

-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He thought that she was an angel

That was the first thought that went through the mind of the Duke of Wolfne when he first laid his eyes on Sakura Kinomoto, only that time, he did not know who she was. If he knew, he surely would not have kissed her in the way he did. It was a thorough mistake on his part.

He had come out with his current lover, the Baroness of Sheilfield, on to the balcony for a moment of privacy. They could not conduct their liaison in the ballroom and the balcony was vacant. Or so he thought amusingly as he recounted how he found an emerald beauty hiding at the counter.

She was beautiful. He lost his breath at the sight of her. Unlike most ladies of the ton, her hair colour was a light shade of brown, almost like honey and when unbound, it fell into curls near her waist. He had marveled at the texture of it, imagined it spilling over pillows in his bed while he made love to her.

He had mistresses and lovers that were more beautiful and sophisticated than her. Yet, there was something about her that made him want to conquer and possess her. The air of innocence around her appealed to him. Unlike many gentlemen of the ton, he preferred his women sophisticated but only she may be an exception.

She was indeed an innocent; he had no doubt about it. Even if she did deny it, her responses to his kisses would have alerted him of it. Her responses were innocent and unrestrained. She held back nothing, pouring everything she felt into that kiss. She may not have been kissed a lot but her sweet responses seemed to have made up for it.

She was slim but yet full in all the right places. He could still remember her softness pressing against him, the smoothness of her skin. Her green eyes darkening with pleasure, the soft moans coming from her as he ravished her mouth, throat.

Still, it seemed as though fate mocked him. The one woman that he had ever desired was the only sister of his arch enemy. It was like being poured with cold water.

Touya Kinomoto and he seemed to be always crossing paths with each other. Like the incident four years ago. It was not undiscovered that Kinomoto hated him with passion and he returned those feelings. Thus, when he heard his voice calling out, he felt as though he was burnt by fire. What made matters worse was that the women that he had been devouring was Kinomoto's's sister.

He knew she had no idea who he was. Or else, she will not be in his arms. There was no doubt that she knew how much her brother hated him. Kinomoto had always made his feelings about the Duke of Wolfne known to everyone around him. Her reaction upon seeing him again in the ballroom with Kinomoto beside her was proof enough.

He had left the balcony a few moments after she left, having the horrible feeling of being had. He had seen her in her brother's arms, her face flushed and her body trembling. She must have been told of who he was afterwards as when she looked at him again, she fainted.

He wanted to rush forward to hold her but in doing so, Kinomoto would surely have his head. There was enough bad blood between them, there was no need for more. The only thing now was how would Kinomoto react if he found out that he had seduced his sister?

He lifted his hand and looked at the hair clip in his hand. He had removed it from her hair only moments ago and had forgotten to return it. He had to return it to her, there was no use holding on to it. Then they will never see each other again.

Somehow, that thought seemed to make him angry and sad and he did not know why he was feeling that way.

-

-

-

-

A pungent smell assaulted her senses as she was jolted awake. Her vision was hazy and she could feel a headache coming up. She groaned, placing a hand to her head.

"Sakura! Sakura!" She could feel her brother shouting and his voice made her head pound.

"Stop shouting," She mumbled, rubbing her temples as her vision cleared. "You are giving me a headache."

"Oh thank God! You gave me such a scare!" Touya whispered, his voice hoarse as he lifted her up into his arms. That movement jarred her senses, forcing her wide awake. She looked around and saw that she was on a bed.

"Where am I?"

"You are in one of Lady Lutherford's rooms. She thought it would be better if we placed you here instead of bring you back home."

"What time is it?" Trying to clear her hazy mind, she got off bed and tried to walk a few steps and nearly landed flat on her face. Luckily, Touya had to foresight to hold on to her.

"It is almost dawn. We are staying here for about two more days and so are most of the guests here," Touya replied as he lifted his sister in his arms and returned her to bed. "Although it was not my decision, I thought it was a good idea for you to recover from whatever you were suffering from. While you were sleeping, I had our things sent over her. Your maid is also here too."

"But-", she hesitated. For the first time since she woke up, she finally had gotten a good look at her brother. His usual neat hair was in disarray, evidence of him running his fingers through many times. His deep brown eyes reflected fatigue as well as worry. He was still clad in the attire he wore the night before, all wrinkled up. He must have stayed up all night, watching over her. Sakura's heart sank as she recalled what she had done the night before.

"Touya," She called out just as he was about leave the room. She patted the place next to her and he walked back and sank down into the soft bed. "I just wanted you to know that no matter what I will keep my promise."

Touya just smiled and ruffled her hair, a familiar gesture that had been done only out of habit. Though not said specifically, he knew exactly what she was talking about. His heart sank at the thought of his only sister being wedded to another but he knew that he could not keep her by his side and protect her always. The time will come when he has to pass on this role to another, one which he hoped will love and cherish her forever.

He himself was not a saint; he knew that from the start. He had his fair share of paramours, though hidden discreetly from the knowledge of his sister. His parents were aware of his shortcomings, which they looked upon with obvious disapproval. However, being about seven and twenty, he knew that his parents could not say much. After all, he had managed living by himself for the past three years in his own townhouse, almost an hour drive from where his parents and sister are currently residing.

The time he had left with his sister was shortening; it was past the time for her to be married. Yet he knew that no gentlemen were good enough for her. He could see it in her eyes, the slight boredom and irritation whenever an overzealous suitor approached her. His sister was so full of live that he was certain that her spirit would surely be broken if she was married to someone that she did not love.

Now as he gazed upon her, he knew that she would fulfill her promise no matter what, even if it meant giving up the one she loved. It was typical of her, to put others before herself. Trying to loosen up the mood, he joked. "I didn't think that you would swoon dead away in the middle of the ballroom. I thought you were made of sterner stuff."

Sakura tried not to smile at his comment. It was just like of him to try to comfort her. She gave a mock pout, placing her hands on her hips. "I did not swoon. I just felt giddy. Anyway it was horrible of you to use the smelling salts as though I was an old lady."

They continued to bicker as they always did since they were children. Only this time it was different. For both of them, it was to hide the uneasiness in their hearts.

After sometime, Touya got up. "Time for me to leave this room before the ladies start to gossip about my lack of propriety. You take a good rest. I will just head out to the stables for a mount."

"Touya, I am really fine," Sakura insisted, wanting to go to the stables herself. She quickly got out of bed, shouting for her maid. "I think I will go for a ride myself. To get a bit of fresh air, don't you agree?"

He wanted to argue with her but even he was not strong enough against his sister's pleading look. Besides, he knew how much his sister loved to ride and the ride would surely put back the colour in her cheeks.

"Fine, but if you swoon again, you are not leaving the house for a month," Touya warned, staring hard at his sister. Although he knew that it was a minor affliction, he could not help but worry.

"Hurry up, I will wait for you in the dining room. You must eat first", Touya continued before leaving the room, shutting the door behind him.

Sakura stuck out her tongue at the shut door, sighing as she waited for her maid to arrive.

-

-

-

-

"What a beautiful day it is," Sakura called out to her brother as they headed towards the stables. Dressed in a pale blue morning dress, with a matching bonnet perched on her head, she laughed out gaily as she raced ahead of her brother.

Touya shook his head as he ran after his sister. Donning a pair of breeches and a shirt, he looked very much a man at leisure, strolling after his sister. "Remember, we must be back before one or else we will get it from mother."

He could only bit back a laugh when the stable boy grew red in the face upon receiving a smile from his sister.

He carried on, walking stall by stall, choosing a mount, unaware of someone lurking near them.

-

-

-

-

He was about to go to the stables when he heard her laughter. The sweet melodious sound which haunted him all throughout the night. Even when he was in bed with his mistress, it was Sakura's moans that filled his head. Shocked and horrified, he had rejected his mistresses advances and sent her away, with his desires unfulfilled.

Now as Syaoran just stood just steps away from her, he could feel his loins tightened. He was about to approach her until he heard Kinomoto's voice. That seemed to serve as a wake-up call for him as he quickly hid behind the door.

They were oblivious to his presence when they rode past him. She was riding side-saddle on a pure snowy white gelding beside her brother as both of them headed out.

He marveled at the way she handed the horse, admiring the way her dress clung on to her body. He found it a pity that all that glorious hair he had fingered the night before was hidden from his view. It was just as well that it was hidden, for he had the entire view of her slender neck.

After checking that they were a safe distance from him, he walked into the stables to request for his horse, which he had sent down from his town house.

He had no intention of staying after the Lutherford's engagement party and had planned to reside at his countryside manor house, where his mother is currently staying. However, when the news that the Kinomotos were staying here for a few days, he immediately wrote a note to his mother to inform her of his delay. He had sent his valet into a hurry in order to pack his things for the stay.

He knew the reason for staying and it was not because of Touya Kinomoto but instead his sister. He had no intention of marrying and was nearly a bachelor at seven and twenty. Yet, it was his duty to produce a heir to continue on his family line and inherit the dukedom. The only reason he would marry was to produce a heir and once that was done, he and his wife could go their separate ways. However he did not know how long that would take, he was after all the only son after four girls.

He did not believe in love and happens in bed with his mistresses does not even conclude to making love in his definition. It was just lust and desires, nothing more. It had now occurred to him that this act was not only dull, it was getting boring. His reputation with women was legendary and he was not a monk, having to satisfy his desire now and then but he received no pleasure from the act before.

He had scoffed at his sisters, all happily married and positively simpering over their husbands. He approved of the usual ton marriages, of husbands and wives going their own ways, nothing to tie them down, no feelings involved.

However, there was something dangerous about Sakura Kinomoto, she was begin to evolve feelings in him that he could not explain. He knew that what he felt for her was lust and desire which will surely go away once he had her. He could not marry her, that was one thing he could not do. On the other hand, he cannot have her as a mistress. He cannot bring himself to do so. She was still a lady, the daughter of a duke, with bloodlines so fine.

The only thing to do was to wait for the lust to die off and then wait for her to marry another. He definitely have no intention of being relatives with Touya Kinomoto! Now the only thing left to do was to forget her sweet kisses. . .

-

-

-

-

-

She and her brother raced on, with Touya winning by a hair's breadth.

"You cheater," Sakura yelled out to her brother while trying to tie the ribbon to her bonnet. It had come off loose during the race, with her hair free and falling to her waist. "I wasn't ready when the race started!"

Touya smirked at his sister, running his hand through his wind blown hair. He was glad to see the colour back in his sister's cheeks, all rosy and red. The ride had done her a hell lot better. "That is what you said every time you lost, which is always!"

Touya got off the horse and walked over to help Sakura down. Sakura gently stroked the horse's hair, before holding the rein and leading the horse to a nearby stream. Touya followed suit and soon both of them were sitting on the grass while the horses drank.

"Mother is going to get annoyed once she sees the grass stains on your dress," Touya drawled as he laid down on the grass.

"She won't know if I changed before I saw her, would she?" Sakura suggested, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. She looked around her, appreciating the soft breeze. "I didn't know how much land the Lutherford's had."

"Don't you know that it is rude to comment on others holdings like that?" Touya joked as he turned to face his sister. "We have as much or more land then they do. Plus, you get to ride your own horse."

"Now who is being rude?" Sakura exclaimed. She took off the bonnet and set it down beside her. "Touya, why did you move out?"

Blinking, he sat up. "What?"

Sakura repeated her question. Touya hesitated before answering. "So that I can gain my own independence and strike it out on my own. Anyway, it is not that I totally moved out. Some of my things are still at home."

Sakura did not pursue further and just let out a sad sigh. She missed her brother and instead of seeing each other everyday like they used to, they only saw each other during social gatherings and only when he paid a call upon the house. She knew her brother had his own life.

"Sakura?" Sakura blinked and her train of thoughts was broken. "Why didn't you pin up your hair today? I thought that was something not quite right about your appearance today."

Sakura bit her lip. The only reason why she not pin her hair was that she did not have her hair clip. Unfortunately, there were none packed for her and she could not possibly borrow from their host, having imposed on them so much.

She did not know where she had placed it, the last time she knew was that it was on her hair during the party. Suddenly, she remembered and had to restrain herself from groaning. The Duke of Wolfne was holding on to it!

"Erm. . . the weather was cool today, so I decided to let it down," Sakura fibbed while desperately thinking of a way to get her hair clip back. What made matters worse was that it was given to her by her own brother! It was her birthday present two years ago. It was in the shape of a cherry blossom with crystals and jewels on it. It was her favourite and she seldom wore it for fear of it getting lost.

Touya looked at her strangely before standing up. He gave her his hand and pulled her up, brushing off the blades of grass which hung on to her dress. "We had best be heading back. We still have to prepare for the ball tonight."

Touya lifted her onto the saddle before getting on his own horse. He handed her bonnet which she had forget.

An idea struck in Sakura's mind. "How about we race back?"

Touya nodded his approval. "On your mark. Get set. Go!"

Both of them raced off once again, leaving a cloud of dust behind them.

-

-

-

-

-

"Ouch! Marie, have a care for my hair," Sakura cried out as her maid tugged on her hair.

"Ignore her, Marie. Carry on," Nadeshiko said, as she stared at her daughter's reflection in the mirror. "My dear, there is a price to pay for beauty."

"I thought in my case, it was free," Sakura mumbled, trying to resist the pain. She glanced at her mother who was already dressed up and prepared for the ball. "Mother, you are positively horrible!"

Nadeshiko hid a smile as she applied rouge on her daughter's face. "It is a surprise that you have not gotten yourself all tan like an Indian on your ride today."

Sakura bit back a retort as her maid helped her into her dress. When the last button was done, she stood back to look at herself in the mirror.

Nadeshiko stood hesitantly next to her daughter. "Are you sure you are wearing this?" she asked, her eyes scanning the dress. "It is quite bare."

The dress was pale pink in colour and it did justice to Sakura's curves. However, it had a deep plunging neckline which showed off a lot of her bosom.

"Nonsense, mother," Sakura said as her maid fastened on a diamond necklace for her. Without her hair clip, she had no choice but to let down her hair. "I bought this dress when I went to Paris with Tomoyo and it is all the rage."

"I do not mind it," Nadeshiko explained. Her daughter, in fact, looked her very best tonight, with her skin glowing and eyes sparkling. "I was just voicing your brother's thoughts when he sees you. What a pity you can't find the hair clip he gave you! Its pink jewels would most certainly have matched your dress."

"He won't be able to say anything. I will keep myself covered until we reach the ballroom. By then, he will be unable to do anything about it!" Sakura laughed out as she took her cloak from her maid. Her stomach tightened as she thought about how she was going to get the clip back.

-

-

-

-

-

The ballroom was already filled with people with music playing. Couples waltzing across the dance floor.

Sakura removed her hand from her brother's arm as the servant helped her to remove her cloak. "Thank you."

Touya's eyes widened in shock upon seeing what his sister wore. Sure enough he had seen women that were dressed lesser than this but they were not his sister! "What do you think you are wearing?"

"A dress?" Sakura replied, an innocent look on her face. Spreading out her skirts, she looked up at her brother who was dressed in a dark waistcoat.

"It is not a dress! It is a cloth with a big hole!"

"Oh hush!" Sakura scolded as they made their way into the ballroom. "I am old enough to decide what to wear, besides most women here are wearing like this."

Touya refused to answer. A dark look settled across his face. Upon seeing the look on his face, his mother chided. "Touya, stop being so overprotective. You are making this worse for your sister."

"Yes, mother," he grated out, forcing a smile on his face when inside he was steaming. Now more lewd glances will be directed at his sister, most of them focused on what she was displaying.

He grabbed the flute of champagne from his sister's hand just as she was about to drink it and drank it himself. "No champagne for you! Not after you fainting yesterday."

Sakura shot him a dark look before turning to Tomoyo, who was beside her. "Isn't he just beastly today! And he does not say anything about your dress!"

Tomoyo,who was wearing a similar dress as Sakura, just laughed. "By the way," she whispered. "If I am not wrong, you went to the balcony yesterday and at the same time the Duke of Wolfne and the Baroness of Sheifield also made their made in the same direction."

Sakura stiffened. She had no known that someone would have taken note of it. "Are you sure?" Sakura asked, her skin growing clammier by the second. "I didn't see anyone outside."

"Sure?" Sakura turned her eyes away from her friend's knowing glance. "For after a while, the baroness of Sheifield left the balcony, without the Duke."

"How am I supposed to know? I have never made the duke before!" _until yesterday._

"Oh well, I was just asking. Silly of me to think that you might have done something with the Duke. As if you would betray your own brother like that."

At Tomoyo's words, Sakura felt a sense of dread. She had been trying to forget what had transpired between them, leaving it to the past, but yet for the past few hours, it had been haunting her.

"Excuse me," a deep, yet familiar voice spoke out. "Would my lady care to dance?"

Sakura stiffened. Sakura turned to face the man and upon seeing him, her eyes widened in disbelief. Behind her, she could hear her brother'sfootsteps as he approached her and the man. . .

-

-

-

A/N have been writing this chapter for about a week now. I had a slight writer's block until I finally came up with an idea.

Was suppose to upload this two days ago, but something went wrong with the document manager

Please review! I would like to know, exactly how many people are reading this!


	3. Chapter 3

-

Broken promises

By sushi-genius

-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She thought she was hallucinating.

She could hardly muffle her shrieks of joy as she laid eyes on Yukito Tsukishiro, the Earl of Belmont as she rushed towards him. "Oh my gosh Yuki! You are finally back!"

She could hear her brother's chuckles behind her as he joined them. "Calm down Sakura. By the way Yukito, I thought you were arriving tomorrow?"

Sakura turned to glare at her brother, however her eyes could not hide the joy she had felt as she laid her eyes on the man she loved. At nine and twenty, he was nine years older than her. He was the bastard son of the previous Earl who had no choice but to pass on his title to him when he realized that Yukito was his only heir. Unmarried, he had devoted most of his time to his estates and everyone could see how much care he had for his workers.

She first laid eyes on him when she was just twelve years old. He was a friend of Touya's at Eton and he had often spent his holidays at their house, having no where to go before he claimed his title. It was love at first sight, the kind which grew whenever she saw him. However, he was unaware of her feelings. Even after eight years later, she was no where near confessing her feelings than when she was just twelve. She had often dreamt that he was already in love with her but only his shy nature prevented him from proposing.

"You knew he was coming back and you did not tell me?" Sakura turned to address her brother, placing her hands on her hips.

Her brother shrugged. His sister's feelings for his friend was blatantly obvious to everyone except to the man himself. He knew his friend was a good match for his sister but somehow, he could not picture both of them together. Yukito's quiet nature was just not quite suited for Sakura's fiery spirit. "How was I supposed to tell you? I received the letter just yesterday, the same day that you fainted!"

"And you couldn't have told me before I fainted?"

Yukito quickly intervened before they started quarreling again. He had witnessed these once too many a times already. Luckily for him, the music had just started. "My lady, would you care for a dance?"

He reached out his hand to her, his body in a slight bow. Sakura flushed for a moment before placing her hands in his. He led her to the dance floor and soon, they began waltzing in tune with the rest of the couples.

Sakura bit her lip. She could feel herself turning red and she was sure that he could feel her heart pounding through her ribcage. Oh why did he have to turn out so handsome? His beautiful gray eyes looked down warmly at her. She felt as though she was dancing on clouds.

His caring voice broke her train of thoughts and she nearly stumbled, catching herself in time. "You have grown more beautiful than the last time I saw you. I bet Touya must be going after your suitors with a cub."

She forced herself to laugh, her face growing redder with his compliment. What she wanted to tell him was that she loved him and ask if he could marry her. He was everything she could have ever wanted in a man and in a husband. She would be willing to live happily for the rest of her life with him. Suddenly, Syaoran Li's face appeared in her mind and she froze in shock.

Sensing her sudden stiffness, Yukito became worried. "Is something the matter?"

"No. Nothing is wrong. I was just woolgathering," she fibbed while trying to shake away the image. How could she have thought of him when she was dancing with Yukito? It was like a dream turning into a nightmare.

-

-

-

-

He could feel his fist clench in response when he saw her dancing with another man, whom he recognized as the Earl of Belmont. He knew he was rude in ignoring the Countess of Mayhill while she carried on telling him about her daughter's achievements but he could not bring himself to care.

Why was she carrying around a dreamy look on her face as she danced with Belmont? Why was there tenderness in her eyes when she looked at him? All those feelings were not evident when she was with him. There was fear, doubt and of course, passion but he knew he wanted more.

She looked beautiful in that dress, the silky material clinging on to her figure, revealing more than what has already been shown. He felt a surge of lust and was angered at the number of looks she had drawn, especially to her bosom. What he wanted to do was to drag her to the nearest bedroom and see what was hiding underneath that dress.

The Countess of Mayhill upon seeing that he was not paying the slightest attention to her, followed his view. What she saw the daughter of the Duke of Havenwood dancing with the Earl of Belmont, looking entirely contented. What she was not prepared for was the look on the Duke of Wolfne face, his jaw tightened, shards of amber in his eyes.

Although there was no bad blood between her and Havenwood, she could not help but be jealous of the attention the daughter of Havenwood was attracting. Her daughter had just made her debut this year but was still outshone by Sakura Kinomoto who made her debut three years ago. Sakura was still attracting all the finest catches of the ton. Now, from the looks of it, she was also getting the attention from the Duke of Wolfne who she had wanted for her own daughter. It was time that the Duke knew that Sakura Kinomoto was out of his field.

"Why isn't that Lady Sakura Kinomoto dancing with the Earl of Belmont?" She had tried to sound astonished. She could see that he clenched his fist even more. She went for the kill. "Don't they make such a fetching couple? I think he is going to propose to her soon after all these years. Do you know that they were childhood sweethearts? The looks that they are giving each other reminds me of my husband and I."

Only due his strict upbringing prevented Syaoran from retorting that what she and her husband had nothing but dislike for each other but he had seen the truth with his own eyes. There was nothing but love and devotion shining in Sakura's eyes and they were all focused on the man before her. He snatched a flute of champagne from the waiter and downed it in one gulp. Placing the empty glass on the tray, he gave the countess a curt nod before walking away.

It was time to set things straight with her before he became crazy. First thing to do was to return that blasted hairclip!

-

-

-

-

Sakura's heart sank when the music came to an end. She wanted to dance more with Yukito but they had already danced twice and it would be scandalous to dance more than twice with anyone who was not your fiancé.

She curtsied before Yukito and was able to take his arm when a deep voice cut in. "I don't suppose I could have the pleasure of having the next dance with my lady?"

She stiffened, her nightmare finally becoming true. It must have been a cruel trick that fate had played on her for now she was looking at the face of Syaoran Li. She could feel Yukito's hand being placed protectively on her waist. For some reason, she could have swore that Li's eyes narrowed at that action.

Fearing a scene that could ruin her reputation as well as the chance with Yukito, she quickly agreed. "It would be my pleasure."

She shot Yukito a pleading look that prevented him from doing further. With a stiff bow, he walked off the dance floor without looking back. Yukito had known what had transpired between Syaoran and her brother and he was probably puzzled as well as furious at her acceptance, but this was the only thing she could do to prevent further confrontation.

Syaoran signaled for the music to start. She froze at the contact of his hand on her waist, a grim smile plastered on her face. "You are too bold, your grace."

"Ah," he exclaimed, not breaking his gaze on her. "My little blossom has finally figured out who I was and I thought I was going to continue to play guessing games."

She wanted to smack him. "You, your grace, are incorrigible," She said in a frosty tone. Her hand was placed lightly on his shoulder but even though the layers of clothing, she could feel the tightly corded muscles.

"Now, now. What is with the formalities? After all, with what has happened between us, shouldn't you refer to me as Syaoran?"

"Your grace," Sakura choked out stubbornly, refusing to catch his bait. By now, Touya would have already been alerted of this and she would not be surprised if he called the Duke out. "I would like to have my hairclip back if it is in your possession."

"It is indeed." Sakura felt a surge of joy. "However, in order to get it back, you must answer my questions."

"Question or questions," she bit out bitterly, feeling trapped. This was all her fault, if only she had not ventured out onto the balcony. Now this cad was going to bend her to his will."

"Questions, of course. It is a small price to pay to get your hairclip back. Plus I would like to know you better."

"Which I can't say the same for you! What game are you trying to play?" She could feel herself beginning to panic. It was as if she was dancing to his tune and she did not like that feeling at all. "Are you trying to get to my brother through me? If that happens, I will never forgive you!"

"Harsh words from such a sweet mouth," he sighed, baiting her even more. He was enjoying this dance more than he expected. "Don't worry. I am not planning to do anything to your brother. I just want to know you."

"Me?" she repeated in shock. What did she have that interested him so much? "There is nothing you need to know about me than what the others could already have told you."

"Are you sure?" She cowered before his piercing stare and felt as though all her secrets have been revealed. There was something dangerous about this man that scared her and yet at the same time drawn her to him.

"Yes, I am sure."

"In that case, I don't think I would be returning that hairclip of yours. What a pity, since it was such a pretty little thing."

"Please, return it to me," she pleaded, feeling as though she was at the losing end. There was something hard and unbending about him that she knew that she would have to comply with his wishes. "That hairclip is important to me."

Thousands of thoughts flashed through this head. Was the hairclip given to her by a lover? Was that why she treasured it so much? His face darkened in response and his hold on her tightened.

The music had stopped and Sakura was about to walk away when he pulled her back for another dance.

"Not yet my little blossom," he smiled down at her. For some reason, Sakura could not help but feel shivers down her spine. "Our dance is not over yet."

"It was over from the start!" Sakura cried out, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Somehow they both knew that she was not referring to the dance. "I don't like this game you are playing."

"My sweet, I am not playing any games. All I want is for you to answer my questions then the hairclip would be returned to its rightful owner."

Having no choice but to comply, Sakura gave a stiff nod.

Syaoran could not help but feel a sense of victory. Finally, they were going to do it on his terms.

"Firstly, who was that man that was dancing with you?"

"I don't see why that has got anything to do with you," Sakura retorted grimly, feeling a sense of defeat. She has dropped all sense of formalities with this man, trying her best not to throttle him on this very dance floor."

"No, my dear," he chuckled, the sound warming Sakura's heart without warning. "You are not playing fair. You see, in order to get your beloved hairclip back, you must answer my questions."

"Fine! He is a friend of my brother's. Yukito Tsukishiro, the Earl of Belmont."

He shook her head as he twirled her around. She could not help but admit that he was a superb dancer but a horrible gentleman. "You are still not answering my question. What I meant was, what is he to you?"

Her eyes widened, surely he could not believe that she was willing to answer that question! It was far too personal to be even brought up with her mother! But he is holding trump. "He is my first love ever since I was twelve."

She refused to elaborate further and he noticed that she used the word 'is' instead of 'was' meaning that she was still in love with that man. The music ended and he bowed before walking.

"Wait a minute! You promised to give my hairclip back."

He turned to face her, trying to paste an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry but I left the hairclip in my room. Why don't you meet me there in about ten minutes and I will return it to you?"

He knew what he was doing was wrong but somehow, he could not bring himself to return it to her just yet. It would signal the end of everything. There was just something between them that still can be rekindled.

"You must be crazy if you think I would go to your room!"

"Well then," he replied. "It appears that you would have to wait until another time."

With that, he turned and continued walking. Her voice trailed behind him, it was so soft that he thought that he had imagined it. "Alright, I will meet you there in ten minutes."

He gave no sign that he heard her as he walked away. However there was a huge grin on his face He continued smiling as he acknowledged the rest of the guests with his hand holding on to the hairclip in his pocket.

-

-

-

-

Idiot, idiot, idiot! What on earth had she gotten herself into? Sakura cursed under her breath as she left the ballroom.

Luckily for her, Touya was too faraway to give her any grief. She made her excuses to her mother, saying that she had a slight headache. She immediately felt guilty when her mother started fussing over her like a mother hen.

She quietly made her way upstairs. She had no idea where his room was but if she remembered correctly, most of the nobilities were staying on this floor and with all of them enjoying the ball downstairs, she was sure that no one was around.

"Your grace," she called out softly, as she made her way down the poorly lit hall. There were just too many rooms! "Your grace!"

She began to worry. What if someone had seen her making her way here? Her reputation would be in shreds and her family would be publicly humiliated.

After calling out a few more times, there was still no reply. There was no way she was able to find him with so many rooms. Heaving a sigh of dismay, she turned and was about to make her way back to the ballroom when someone grabbed hold of her hand.

She let out a shriek of shock and relief began to settle in as a shadowy figure stood beside her. He had finally come to her. "Why your grace don't. . ." Her words faltered as she gazed at the figure. It was not him.

"Why Lady Sakura," Lord Every said, his voice slurred. Sakura found him extremely repulsive with his wandering hands and leery eyes. He was good looking, bestowed with light brown hair and grayish blue eyes and was considered quite a good catch. However, he was a notorious rake who wandered from bed to bed until he set his eyes on Sakura. "What a pleasure to see you here. I believe you still owe me a dance."

Sakura snatched away her hand. She gave a stiff curtsey and walked away. Suddenly she was thrown against the wall, Lord Every's lips on hers. He pressed his body against hers as he began his assault.

Sakura began to struggle but her strength was no match for his. Tear began to flow down her face as she tried to push him away. Her eyes widened when the hem of her dress tore upon catching her shoe. She could taste alcohol in his mouth and felt revolted.

She thought the ordeal was over when he lifted his lips, only to have him push her into one of the rooms. Her fear escalated when she saw a bed in the dim light. Lord Every began to undo his cravat as he came towards her. She moved backwards and soon found herself sitting on the bed.

She was cornered. With the bed behind her and Lord Everly in front of her, she had no where to escape. She had heard of women becoming victims of such attacks but she had never one dreamt that it would occur to her.

Lord Everly pushed her down onto the bed and proceeded to attack her neck. Sakura began to sob. It was not how she imagined her first time to be and especially no with him. She began to scream only to have him backhand her. Her cheek stung as she sobbed, defenseless.

"Well, I hate to interrupt but you happen to be trespassing my room, Everly," Syaoran drawled out, his eyes dark with anger upon seeing Lord Everly's hand on Sakura.

Lord Everly straightened up. "Your grace," he acknowledged, without feeling embarrassed. "In that case, we shall have to continue somewhere else."

He had over toed the line when he pulled on Sakura's hand and soon felt himself crashing onto the floor. Syaoran casually placed his feet on Lord Everly's throat, effectively blocking the passage of air. Everly's face turned red and soon he was sputtering, gasping for air.

"Did you or did you not harass Lady Sakura," Syaoran asked, his tone deceptively mild. Beside him, Sakura was trying to control her sobs, relieved beyond words.

"She came to me willingly. If was not I-," Everly's face started to turn purple as Syaoran added more weight into his legs. By now, Everly's hands were wrapped around Syaoran's leg, trying unsuccessfully to remove it.

"Let me ask you again," Syaoran's voice took on a harder edge, the vein in his jaw throbbing. He was finding it hard to keep his anger under rein. What had happened to Sakura was partially his fault. If only he had not baited her and just returned the damn hairclip! "Did you or did you not harass Lady Sakura?"

Everly had no choice but to admit. He was already seeing grey. "Yes," he admitted and was relieved when Syaoran removed his feet from his chest.

Syaoran single-handedly lifted Everly up by his shirt and looked at him in the face. "If I ever see you even within thirty feet of her, you won't even feel pain when I am done with you," he threatened. Everly quivered, hands and legs were shaking. "And," Syaoran continued, "If I were you, I would realize that the countryside is not such a bad place to stay after all."

After that, he released Everly, dropping him in a heap on the floor. Everly quickly got up to his feet and left the room hurriedly, nearly tripping over his feet in the process.

Syaoran turned hesitantly, not knowing how to comfort her. Even if he had grew up with four elder sister, he had always left the room whenever any of them were in hysterics. She looked so pitiful that he nearly went after Everly to punch his face in. Her hair was in the mess, tear stains on her face and her dress was torn.

He was about to walk towards her when she ran into his arms, crying out profusely. He wrapped his arms around her shaking body as she cried into his chest.

"I-I-I thought I was going to b-be raped," she managed to choked out, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. "I was so scared and afraid of what he might do to me. Syaoran, I was so scared."

Syaoran felt an ache in his chest as he held her. She was so innocent and pure and yet she had been subjected to one of the cruelest of fates.

"You are safe now," he assured, trying to soothe her. She buried her face deeper in his chest as she sobbed, her arms around his waist. She did not know what she would do if she was raped.

"I tried to push him away, but he was too strong," Sakura wept, the hurt still fresh in her mind. "I can still feel his lips on me."

Syaoran lifted her face towards his and looked into her tear-filled eyes. "Then let me take the memory away."

He touched his lips towards hers gently, as though seeking her approval. At first Sakura turned away, the incident still lurking in her mind. However, his lips were different from Everly's lips, they were firm and yet soft. She felt herself turning to receiving his kiss and could feel herself getting healed.

This kiss was unlike the one that they shared before. It was soft and sweet and it felt like it could carry on forever. He molded his lips against hers, his tongue slipping between her lips. He drank like a man starved, his desire pressing obviously against her legs. Sakura wrapped her arms around him as she deepened the kiss. All her warning about him disappeared and all she knew was that with every second, she was feeling emotions that she had never felt before.

"Get the hell away from my sister, you bastard!" Touya shouted as he threw open the door. They quickly broke apart and Sakura was about to walk towards her brother when /Syaoran placed his hand around her waist and placed her beside him.

"Havenwood," Syaoran greeted with a curt nod, a deceptively casual grin on his face. "It's has been a long time hasn't it?"

"Apparently not long enough," Touya retorted, his eyes narrowing on the hand that was placed around his sister's waist. He had immediately concluded that Syaoran had seduced his sister in order to get back at him and he hated him for that. "You are a sick bastard for using Sakura against me."

"No. Touya, it is not like that," Sakura tried to explain, pulling away from Syaoran. She needed to let her brother know what had happened, to explain that it was not Syaoran's fault. She only had herself to blame. The hurt and betrayal was evident in her brother's eyes and she felt guilty. "I need to tell you that-"

"We are engaged," Syaoran cut in smoothly. "I proposed to her yesterday and she accepted. We were just waiting for the right time to announce the news to everyone." He could not tell which of the two was most shocked by the news "By the way," he added. "What you just witnessed is just a heated embrace between two people that are aboutt to be married. So there is nothing wrong about that."

"What?" Touya gaped, his eyes widening in disbelief. "There is no way that Sakura had agreed. Both of you have never even met before in your entire lives."

"Actually, we knew each other when you and I were still in Eton together. We happened to met one day and fell in love with each other," Syaoran fibbed, his eyes trying to plead with Sakura to go along with the story.

"And you never told me about it?" Touya turned towards Sakura, his eyes accusing. Sakura flinched against his stare not sure of what to do. If she told Touya the truth, he would get angry and hunt Everly down but not before dueling with Syaoran for her honor in which he could get either seriously injured or even killed. But if she went along with this lie, both Syaoran and herself would be living a lie and Touya would be crushed as well as betrayed.

Feeling that her brother's life was more important that him being hurt, Sakura had no choice but to lie. "I could not tell you about this. You would surely would have protested, knowing how much you hated him," Sakura said, cringing at the sound of her accusing voice.

Her brother's face immediately filled up with hurt. "Fine," he bit out, anger obvious in his voice. He walked swiftly out of the room "Do what you like. Just don't come crying to me if your life screws up."

Sakura's face shattered as she fell onto her knees. She had finally betrayed the one that she cared for above all others. She had repaid her brother's years of care and protection with a slap across the face.

Behind her, Syaoran began to speak. "I am so sorry. I did not know that it would turn out this way.'

Sakura turned around, her eyes blazing with tears of frustration. "Did you see how much this hurt him? Why did you even single me out? Is it for revenge? If it is, you finally have gotten your one pound of flesh."

"Stop it," he ordered, hating the way this was hurting her. Was the thought of marrying him so repulsive that she could not bear it?

Sakura ignore him as she continued on. "We can't possibly get married. I will explain this to my brother as soon as possible. He will understand. Surely he will. And once this is settled, I promise you, I won't appear before you anymore. So you don't have to feel obliged to marry me."

Syaoran placed his hands on Sakura's shaking shoulders. "Sakura, listen to me," he urged, looking deeply into her eyes, trying to make her understand. "Even if your brother understands, the rest of the ton won't. You being alone with an unmarried man is already going to ruin your reputation, let alone being attacked by one. You will never be allowed to be seen in public ever again."

"I don't care," she replied, trying to control herself from crying. "As long as Touya doesn't get hurt, I don't care what happens to me. He has already done so much for me."

Syaoran knew that she cared a lot for her brother that in order to protect his feelings, she was willing to sacrifice herself. He could not help but marvel at her spirit, but at the same time worry for her future.

"All the more you should get married to me," he said, using the love she had for her family as a card. "If the news gets out, you will drag your family's name along with you. Your father will be looked down upon, your mother will never be able to lift her head up high in public and your brother, even if he inherits your father's title, will no longer be accepted among his peers."

"But, I can't marry you," she burst out, feeling suffocated. "I am in love with another and my brother can't stand you. If I explain this situation to Yukito, he would surely offer for me."

"Why can't you understand!" he finally snapped, being pushed beyond limits. "I am the only one that you can marry! I was last seen with you and even if you married him, the ton will surely remark that he was doing so for a favour."

"What about us? Won't it appear to be a favour too?"

"No it won't," he assured her, feeling herself bending towards his will. "Everyone knows that your brother and I are enemies and that I must be very in love with you in order to put aside the fact that you are my enemy's sister. Furthermore, even if the news of Everly gets out, it will appear that I was comforting my fiancée and defending her honor."

"Fine," she agreed stiffly, feeling her freedom slip away. "but what do you gain from this?"

"You."

"You want my body?" Sakura boldly asked, not caring of the consequences. "Surely you have tons of women willing to have you."

Syaoran felt like strangling her as well as kiss her imprudent mouth. "I only want you. Believe it or not, it is up to you. We will try to make this work."

"Your grace. Even after we get married, I won't even blink an eye if you took up a mistress. In fact, I won't blame you. You are obviously forced into this."

Syaoran wisely ignored her last remark. He was in no mood to continue quarreling with her. All he knew was that he felt like a conqueror when she finally agreed, although not willingly. He had not planned on marrying her but yet when the thought finally went into his mind, it stuck. She would make the perfect wife. Everything she ask for will be hers, except for one thing, and that was his love. Love was the only thing that he was incapable of feeling, let alone give.

"Go and change your dress and meet me in the ballroom," he instructed. "We have got to announce our engagement before Everly decides to open that big mouth of his."

Sakura left to oblige. When she left, he leaned against the wall, his shoulders shaking with laughter and happiness. "Thank you God."

-

-

-

-

When Sakura reentered the ballroom, she was dressed in a pink gown, not quite as revealing as the previous one. She seek out her mother and went towards her. Her mother's face was glowing with happiness and she did not know why.

"Oh my dear," her mother exclaimed, her face filled with obvious delight and excitement. "Why didn't you tell me that you and the Duke of Wolfne knew each other? I nearly made a fool of myself in front of him when he approached your father for your hand in marriage."

"Did Father agree?" Sakura asked hesitantly, afraid of the answer. She enjoyed her freedom which she knew would be gone once she was married.

"Of course. I would not have it otherwise."

She noticed that the ballroom was beginning to empty as the people proceeded outside. "Mother, what is happening?"

"I have no idea," her mother confessed. "I believe that Lord Lutherford requested that all of us went to the gardens. I think he has something in stall for us."

Both of them walked towards the doors. Someone pulled Sakura aside and she was about to scream when she noticed that it was Syaoran. Her mother went on to the gardens without knowing that she was not beside her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, as he led her upstairs to the balconey.

"Just trust me."

They approached a door with the curtains drawn. Beyond the curtain, she could hear Lord Lutherford's voice. "And it gives me great pleasure as well as honor to announce the engagement of the Duke of Wolfne to Lady Havenwood."

Syaoran quickly drew the curtain and pushed her forward. She nearly stumbled, catching herself on time to realize that they were standing on the balcony with hundreds of people looking up to them.

Placing his hand on Sakura's waist and slowing guiding her forward, they walked towards the railing, look down on the rest of the ton.

"First and for most, I will like to thank all of you for complying with my request to go to the garden," Syaoran's voice rang out, addressing the ton. "Secondly I would like to apologize for this sudden notice as I was not even sure if there was going to be Lady Wolfne if Lady Sakura hadn't consented."

A few people laughed at this remark for the woman who let go of a catch as good as the Duke of Wolfne, there must be something wrong with her.

"I would also like to say that I am deeply privilege to have Lady Sakura consent to be my wife," Syaoran carried on. "I am sure all of you are aware of the past history between the Marquess of Havenwood and I. Believe me, I would be saving myself a lot of trouble if I had looked the other way." He slowly waited for the laughter to die off before he continued. "But I will be missing out on a terrific woman to be my wife."

The ton cheered, calling out well-wishers to them. Sakura felt tears going to her eyes. It was a terrific speech even if everything said was a lie. In the crowd, she spotted Touya who was gazing up at her with hurt. Once he noticed she was looking at him, he turned and walked away.

Sakura forced herself to smile as she took a flute of champagne from the servant while in side, her heart was breaking. How did she end up in a loveless soon-to-be marriage as well as broken all good ties she had with her only brother?

As if noticing her distress, Syaoran took the champagne away from her and drank it before proceeding to kiss her in front of the entire ton. There were catcalls coming from the crowd and Sakura felt herself blushing.

It was all a charade, she told herself. A charade indeed.

-

-

TBC. . .

I am very happy that I finally manage to finish this chapter. It really dragged on for me. I was about to finish it when my computer crashed and I was really afraid that I had to rewrite the entire chapter again. Thankfully, none of the memory inside the computer was gone so I can finally continue. Bought a new laptop so I can carry on writing without being at home.

Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

-

Broken promises

By sushi-genius

-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She thought a part of her was torn out.

Touya had refused to see her even until the persuasion of her parents. She felt as though she had lost a brother. He did not stop by the house anymore and when she went to his townhouse, she was rudely informed by the butler that her brother was otherwise occupied.

It had been a week since the announcement of her engagement to Syaoran but Touya was still fuming with anger. Twice he had left the balls when he saw her approaching. She tried to tell herself that it was because she had approached him with her arm hooked with Syaoran's was that the reason for his avoidance. Except the fact that he had even refused to see her in his own home was blatantly obvious enough.

She was so upset that thrice she had refused Syaoran for a ride in the park even when riding was one of her favourite past times. She had not seen him since that day when they had announced the engagement. It still came as a shock to her that one, she was engaged and two, to her brother's worse enemy. Although she had nothing but herself to blame.

She had never thought that she would be in a loveless marriage. She knew she cared about him but did she love him. Somehow she felt that her feelings were not deep enough to be counted a love but yet deep enough that it was more than adore. She was also unsure of his feelings for her. He wanted her but did he like her?

It was depressing to know nothing of her own fiancé except that she burned and melted at his kisses. However, was that enough for a successful marriage? Her fiancé was a renowned rake. She would satisfy herself by saying that reform rakes make the best husbands but what if her rake does not reform? What if after their marriage he still sought the beds of other sophisticated women? She knew her heart would break then.

Sakura sighed. Her faithful companion perked up his ears and came over to lick her hand. She stroked his fur as she contemplated her future. She was seated in the library with a book on her lap. An hour had past and she was still on the same page.

"Thinking of me?" A deep voice drawled out as Syaoran appeared at the doorway.

Shocked, Sakura quickly stood up, dropping the book in the process. Before she could react, Syaoran swiftly picked it up, flipping through the pages.

"Gone with the Wind," he read out the title. He looked at her puzzlingly. "Isn't this in Latin?"

She nodded her head, the brand of bluestocking already tattooed on her forehead. Instead of the usual 'females need not be heard but seen', he just smiled at her and handed the book over.

A deep growling could be heard as Kero bared his fangs. It was the usual reaction the opposite gender received whenever he came to close to his mistress.

She looked on in surprise as instead of backing away from her pet, Syaoran bent down and patted in on its head. Kero immediately quitted his bluster and let out a happy bark, licking Syaoran all over his face.

"His name is Kero." Somehow she felt inclined to introduce her dog who had somehow come to adore Syaoran. That horrid traitor! "He is a mix breed."

"He is a good dog," Syaoran replied as he stood up. Kero let out a whine when he was not petted anymore and went to rub his head against his mistress's legs. "Who gave him to you?"

"Touya found him in a barn and brought him home," She answered, scratching the dog behind his ears. "He wanted him to keep me accompany while he was away at Eton." At the mention of her brother, she grew quiet, her eyes slowly filling up with tears.

She blinked in surprise when Syaoran took hold of her left hand and slipped a ring onto her ring finger. She gazed at the simple yet elegant ring on her finger which held an emerald and diamonds beside it.

"This is your betrothal ring," he explained, as he gazed into her eyes. She could feel her heart beat faster as she lost herself in the depths of amber.

"Thank you," she said softly, looking away. "It is lovely, I shall treasure it always."

Then without warning, her tears started to fall. She covered her hands with her face and began sobbing. Stunned, he wrapped his arms around her, holding her shaking body. Her dog encircling their bodies, licking her feet.

She pushed herself away from his chest, wiping away her tears. "I am fine."

He smiled a sad smile, tilting her face towards his. "I don't think so. What's wrong?"

She bit her lips, her feelings pouring out in a gush. "It's Touya," she blurted out, her tears trailing down her cheeks. "I've hurt him so badly. Now, he does not want to have anything to do with me."

She placed her head in his chest, willing the tears to stop. "I don't know what to do anymore."

Syaoran patted her back, silent anger directed at Touya. If Touya wanted to blame someone, then blame him. He was the one that taunted her with her hairclip, forcing her to go to his room. It was not her fault that she was attacked by the bloody son of a bitch and then forced to marry him. It somehow seemed very unfair to him that Sakura was shouldering all the blame.

He handed her a handkerchief, a plan forming in his head. It was a time to bring this to an end. She sniffed and took the handkerchief from him, drying her eyes.

"Don't worry." He found himself assuring her. "Touya will come through his senses. After all, you are his only sister."

Unsure of his comment, Sakura nodded, feeling more miserable by the moment. "Did you come here only to pass me the ring?"

"And to talk of our wedding plans."

"Oh." Suddenly, Sakura did not feel like entertaining him anymore. Part of her wanted to stop this charade, to end this and resume her life as always. Yet, she wanted to be married to no one but Syaoran. He trilled her like no one ever did in her life, arousing feelings that she never thought he had. "Have you discussed this with my mother?"

"I thought of asking you first," he said pointedly. "After all, you are the one getting married, not her."

"It depends whether you want a long engagement or a short one," he continued. Sakura sank back into the chair, not sure of how to react. "Although I prefer a short one."

She jerked back when his hands caressed the side of her face.

"Why is it that I cannot control myself whenever I am with you?" he asked harshly. Her lips were always a temptation to him, like Eve to the apple in the Garden of Eden. "Even now, I want to kiss you."

What answer could she possibly have to that? She trembled when his lips touched hers, just the slightest touch, brushing to and fro. Then suddenly, he stopped.

"I can't do this," he mumbled, lifting up his head. Sakura sat there in shock. Was he getting tired of her already? Were her worse dreams coming true?

"My lord," Sakura meekly said. Syaoran turned to look at her. She lifted her head bravely and looked at him squarely in the eye. "There is something you must promise me. Or else, I won't marry you."

"And what is it that is so grave to your heart?"

Sakura hesitated before plunging on. "I won't accept you having a mistress no matter what I said previously," she said determinedly, her posture like a queen's. "It is a matter of honoring your vows," she carried on to explain, her fingers wringing her dress.

"I see."

She looked at him and was annoyed to see a grin on his face. "Does that thought amuse you so, my lord?" she said curtly, pinning him with her emerald gaze. She could not help but feel hurt at his callous behavior.

"I am afraid so," he answered honestly. His grin fell when he witnessed the hurt look on her face. "You don't suppose I would cheat on you? Adultery is not high on my list!"

"Says the one who I caught committing adultery right on the balcony!" she shot back. The scene of him and his mistress burned fresh in her mind. How many more women were there? "Isn't she one of your conquests?"

"Firstly, it is rude to spy. Secondly, both of us are not exclusive anymore." Seeing her blank look, he carried on to explain. "I broke things off with her as well as many others when I met you."

"You lie."

"It is true, whether you believe it or not." His voice took on a hard edge, his jaw in a grim line. "I would warn you never to question my word."

"Even in marriage?" She could not help but ask, not hiding the biting fury in her voice. "Seriously, my lord, I have learnt that words mean nothing at all. Actions speak louder than words."

"Well then, let me prove it to you."

He caught hold of her hand and pulled her to him. "Let me go!"

"Not a chance," he shot back, angry that she would doubt his word. "Like you said, action speaks louder than words."

His lips caught hers in a bruising kiss, his hand forcing her jaw to open. She resisted him, her lips unmoving while tears of frustrations flowed down her cheeks. His lips trailed down her neck, awaking feelings that she did not welcome.

"Stop it," she managed to cry out, afraid that her body might betray her. "You have made your point."

Syaoran felt like a bastard when he saw her tears and lessened his hold on her. His head snapped sideways when she slapped him. His face stung as he stared at her with open eyes.

Disgusted by her own actions, Sakura took a step backwards and recoil her hand back. She was shocked and stood rooted to the ground. Never in her entire life had she ever laid a hand on someone else before. Her own hand stung where it had made contact with Syaoran's face.

There was a telltale sign on his face, his cheek turning red.

Neither of them moved for the next couple of minutes. Sakura braced herself for the fury that she was about to receive. Her heart dropped when Syaoran turned and walked out of the room without acknowledgement.

Was this the end? she thought to herself. It had been inexcusable for her to slap him. After all, he was not the only one that had stolen a kiss from her. She shuddered at the thought of Lord Everly, the nightmares that plagued her every night.

Yet, she was upset rather than angry at Syaoran's unwarranted attack. She had not expected to be treated that way. Somehow, she had thought that he was different, the man she was marrying was better than that.

He had proven her wrong

-

-

-

-

Syaoran boarded his carriage without a backward glance at the house. Fury burnt his gut when he recalled how they had parted. He was irate - how could he allow himself to treat her like that?

He remembered Lord Everly and his self-loathing grew as he compared himself with Everly. What difference was there between him and that pig? Both of them had forced themselves on Sakura, reducing her to tears. But he cared - Everly did not.

He had cared that he was the one that caused her tears and regretted terribly for his actions. He did not blame her for slapping her - he deserved every bit of it. And yet, the impact of it had stunned him, woken him up to see his actions.

Was Sakura ever going to trust him again? Somehow, someway, he swore to himself, he would make her care for him. He had not realized how much he needed her affection. He wanted to deserve it in order for her to give it freely.

She was an affectionate and caring person, he could see that. She was tearing herself apart when her brother was ignoring her. She was close to her family - she was willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family.

He was proud that he was marrying Sakura but he needed to know that she cared for him in order to make the marriage work. At first, he was only satisfied with a ton marriage. With Sakura, he wanted more than that. He wanted to awake with her lying beside him. He wanted her to be on his arm every single party and ball they went to. But mostly, he wanted her to love him.

Maybe if she loved him, she could teach him how to love in return.

He considered himself disabled when it comes to matters of the heart. Too many years of war had turned him cold and cynical. He knew nothing of love. All of his years he had showered his mistresses with jewelry and dresses but nothing deeper. One of his mistresses had once commented that he was like a diamond - shiny and lovely on the outside but cold and hard inside. He did not disagree with her.

Was she still in love with Tsukishiro? His stomach clenched at that thought. He could not marry her knowing that she loved another, no matter how much he wanted her. In the beginning, he cared for naught, now he was not so sure.

If he had his way they would be married a week ago. However, he wanted her approval as well as letting her have an engagement. The only thing he had been afraid of was her backing out of this. Her uncertainty worried him. There may a chance that she would cry off especially after his treatment of her this afternoon.

He had to make it up to her and he knew how.

Two hours later, he found himself at the doorstep of the Marquess of Havenwood. He knocked on the door which was answered by an elderly butler.

"The Marquess is not in," the butler told him in a superior voice. Syaoran resisted the urge to put the butler in his place. After all, he was a duke and deserved better treatment than this!

"If the Marquess is in and you do not let me enter," Syaoran warned with a deadly voice, his eyes a pale amber. The butler gulped, wiping his hands on his livery. "I will show you a fate worse than death."

"Well then your grace. Please come in. The Marquess is situated in the study."

Syaoran smiled for the first time over two hours and walked through the door. His boots clicked against the shining marble floor as he followed the butler.

Photos hung on the walls. Syaoran grinned as he spotted painting of Sakura. She was seated on the grass with a bonnet on her head, looking far away. He wanted to pocket that painting and hang it within his own walls.

The butler led his to a huge oak door. "My lord is inside."

Syaoran dismissed the butler with a curt nod and opened the door. Havenwood was staring outside the window blankly with a glass of brandy in his hand. Syaoran grinned with admiration when he noticed than almost half the whiskey was gone in the bottle on the table.

"Havenwood," Syaoran called out, his voice hard and cold. He could not help but feel dislike towards him, even more so when he was causing Sakura pain.

Touya was shocked, the glass in his hand dropped onto the floor, breaking into a thousand pieces. The deafening sound resounded around the room, like a bomb that was set off.

Syaoran took joy in Touya's appearance. He was unkempt. He obviously had not shaved in a few days and his dark raven hair for once was messy.

"What do you want?" Touya commanded in a hostile tone. He was face to face with the man who he hated above all others. The man that was to marry his sister.

Touya could not comprehend what had happened. He could not come to terms with the matter. The image of his sister in Li's arms had seared his mind. His sister's betrayal had cut deep into his soul.

When had it started? He could not help but ask himself. He for once did not believe that they knew each other since he was in Eton. His sister had never once visited him and he had made sure that Li and Sakura did not meet. Yet somehow, fate had meddled with his plans, handing him the biggest joke.

He could not stomach the thought of Li and himself becoming relatives. The thought was almost ironic. The fact that his sister had not confided in him hurt most of all. She had not trusted him enough. However, he would have surely disapproved of it from the start so there was no point.

It scared him that his sister was growing up. It was going to be hard to hand over his responsibilities to another, even harder when the person was Li.

He found that he could not bring himself to be happy over this marriage. That was why he avoided his sister whenever he could. He had no right to force his sister to give up her happiness for his own selfish reasons but he knew that his disapproval would upset her. Thus, he kept his distance. It was hard. He would rather slice off his arm with a blunt sword.

Someday, he would be able to accept it, to be able to be in the presence of Sakura and Li without cringing, without frowning and most of all, to be able to give them his blessings. However, now was not the time, especially when his nemesis was in his study.

"I want to end this," Syaoran said firmly, looking Touya in the eye. It was time to bring all of this to an end.

Touya scoffed, resentment eating him inside. "And what makes you think that I will be willing to end this?"

Syaoran could not help but smile. "Because you will do anything to make your sister happy. And with both of us getting along with each other, she will be happy."

Touya felt his defences crumbling. Sakura's happiness was the most important thing in his life but was he willing to bury this grudge? "It doesn't matter if I approve or not. Both of you will be getting married anyway."

Syaoran slammed his fist against Touya's face, frustration building up inside. Touya fell backwards. A crash was heard as a table overturned. Blood trickled down the corner of Touya's mouth as he looked at Syaoran with burning hatred.

"Go on, hit me back," Syaoran taunted, keeping his eyes on Touya. "I know you have been dying to get your hands on me."

Touya pushed himself up and hurled himself onto Syaoran. Glass broke as Syaoran was throw against a glass cabinet. Glass pieces like rain, fell onto them both, blood dripping down their faces.

With a yell, Syaoran turned to face Touya and both of them went for each other. Furniture were overturned and papers were strewn all around the room as both of them let out the contempt they had for the other. Touya kneed Syaoran in the ribs while Syaoran punched him in the stomach.

Battered and bruise, they stood facing each other, both unwilling to give up. Suddenly Syaoran straightened and wiped away the blood from his face.

"Don't you think that this is stupid?" Syaoran commented, wincing as he prodded at a tender spot around his eye which would soon form into a bruise. "Both of us going at each other like there is no tomorrow. What would we get from this?"

"I for once would get immense satisfaction for punching your face in," Touya conceded, grimacing he sat down on the chair. "But as far as I hate to say this, you are right."

Syaoran helped himself to Touya's whiskey, blinking in pain as the drink burned his raw throat. He felt bruised all over his body. He thought he had been knocked down by a carriage. It had been a long time since he had fought with his bare fists. His knuckles were scraped raw.

Insouciant as he may have wanted to appear, Touya could not help but ask the one thing that had been on his mind. "Why Sakura?"

Syaoran's hand paused midway to his mouth as he pondered. "Because I am attracted to her."

"But you are not in love with her," Touya prodded, getting more confuse by the minute.

"Did you know that on the same night, Belmont was going to offer for her?"

Syaoran froze, his blood going cold. He did not know how Sakura would react to this news. Probably call for the engagement for her love, he thought grimly, letting the bitter liquid flow down his throat. No matter what, he could not and would not let her go.

He swallowed hard, his voice trembled as he spoke. "Whatever you do, do not tell Sakura about this." He looked at Touya hard, hoping to intimidate him with a glare. It however did not work.

"Why the hell shouldn't I tell her," Touya demanded, still bitter about the engagement. "After all, it should not affect her. She is engaged to you!"

Syaoran let the sarcasm in Touya's voice, his co-operation was vital in keeping this secret. "I don't want her to feel bad. I know how close she is to Belmont,"

Seeing the desperate look on Syaoran face, Touya sighed. "Hell, if this is for revenge, I will not hesitate to kill you."

Syaoran flared up. "Don't you dare say that this is for revenge," Syaoran warned, his voice low and menacing. "What I have with Sakura is more than that. Honestly, I don't give a damn about what transpired between us. It was so long ago."

"But it still happened," Touya retorted, his face grim. "I wanted to marry that girl. You ruined everything for me."

"She was nothing but a common trollop! She would have spread her legs for anyone."

"I hated you ever since that night," Touya spat, anger resurfacing all over again. "All along in Eton we competed in every single thing. You were in my face most of the time. What a blow I felt when you stole her from me."

"It was all physical, it meant nothing to me."

"Even now, you are still stealing what I treasure most in this world."

Syaoran straightened up. It was time to settle this once and for all. "Sakura made her own choice. I did not steal her from you."

"I still cannot believe it," Touya confessed, running his hands through his hair. "But now that she has you, she does not have to worry about me."

"That is bullshit!" Syaoran shouted, his fists clenched at his side. One wrong word and his hand would have made contact with Touya's face once again. "Because of you, she has been miserable. She does not allow me to escort her to parks and she locks herself in the house."

Touya's face showed his worry and Syaoran plunged on, taking the chance. "She has lost weigh. She needs you by her side right now. If you don't give your blessings, there is no way on earth that she will be willing to marry me."

"Will you grant her happiness? If you don't, I cannot give her to you."

"What do you think?" Syaoran asked, gazing outside the window. "For her, I have to be relatives with you! I am making a huge sacrifice here."

"Same here and I did not even ask for it."

Both of them grinned, having come to a agreement. Syaoran turned and walked towards the door. "Promise me that you will see Sakura by today."

Touya nodded. "Yes, but don't think that makes us friends now."

Syaoran turned back and smirked. "It is worse. We will be relatives soon."

-

-

-

-

Sakura hurled the jewelry box on to the floor, the sapphire necklace spilling out on to the floor. The sight of it irked her.

How dare he deliver this to me! Sakura fumed, her face red with fury. Petals were strewn around the room as she had deflowered an entire bouquet of roses that had been sending to her. She reread the note that she had crumpled in her anger.

_Dear Sakura,_

_Pray forgive me for my misconduct this afternoon. I seek your forgiveness with this gift and I hope I will still be able to see you at our engagement party tomorrow with it around your neck._

_Your fiancé , Syaoran Li_

Did he think that she was so easy to pacify? She was not like other ladies of the town. Precious stones and furs and dresses meant nothing to her. They helped to beautify but nothing more. Did she appear that shallow to him?

The fear that he might treat her like most ladies of the ton was instilled deep within her. Rather than choosing dresses, she preferred riding and staying out in the sun. That was one of the reasons why her skin was slightly tanner than the rest.

She looked at the dress which her maid had hung up in her wardrobe. It was deep blue and had a high waist. She fingered the material and wondered how on earth did he find out that her gown was blue. Her mother had ordered it especially for her engagement party and even she did not see it until today.

She straightened up when she heard footsteps along the hallway. True enough, there was someone entering her room.

Her heart swell when she saw it was her brother. She rushed towards him and stopped, unsure of how he would receive her. Her tears fell when he opened up his arms and she threw herself into his chest sobbing.

"I am so sorry," she choked out, her tears soaking up his shirt. "I did not mean to hurt you."

Touya held his sister with trembling arms. He was the cause for her tears and he knew that her happiness was in his hands. He stroked her hair softly. "I am sorry too. I was an ass. I overreacted."

Sakura shook her head fiercely; a curl of hair came loose from the pin. "It was entirely my fault. If I only had not-"

Touya shushed her before she could continue. "I don't blame you."

It was surprising how much those words meant to her. Her heart lifted as she looked up at her brother. He had been her protector since young and she knew how much her marriage would kill him. Yet, he still gave her his blessings.

She stepped back and finally noticed the bruises and cuts on his face. "What happened to you? Did you get knocked down by a carriage?"

Touya could not but grin at her exclamation. "If I had been knocked down by a carriage, I would have suffered more than just minor bruises." He patted Kero that was prancing about at his feet. "The fact is that I met your fiancé."

"Syaoran?" Sakura gasped out in shock, her legs feeling like rubber beneath her. She could not help but worry what had happened between them. "He caused you to look like this?"

Touya bristled. "He does not look so good himself either," Touya said defensively, annoyed that his sister had thought that he was weaker than Syaoran. "I think he looks worse than I did."

Sakura's stomach turned as she imagined Syaoran with serious injuries. Her nails bit into her brother's arms as she enquired about her fiancé. "Is he seriously injured? Touya, I have told you so many times to mind your own strength. Now see what you have done!"

Touya took a step back, unaware of how to react. He looked at her anxious face and he felt as though he had been punched. She had obviously cared for Syaoran; she wore her emotions on her face. There was nothing he could do now, just hand over his position willingly and hoped for the best.

"He is fine," he heard himself reassuring her. "Only suffering from bruises like me. What do you think we did, throw ourselves at cupboards?" He had neglected to inform her of the damage that their fight had caused. The fight that had occurred in his own house to which he had to pay for the damages! He was making sure that Syaoran would pay for at least half of it.

That somehow seemed to ease Sakura's tension a little as she sat down on her bed. Touya immediately took notice of the ring on her finger and he tried to force a smile.

"I will be moving back to the house for about two weeks," he announced in a matter of fact tone. Sakura looked at him, puzzlement evident in her eyes. "I will be acting as your 'chaperon'"

That was the excuse that he had came up with when he decided that he was going to keep an eye on the relationship between Li and his sister. Any mistreatment of his sister and he would make sure that the engagement was off regardless of what anyone else said. Then he noticed the flower petals on the floor as well as the necklace.

He walked over and picked the necklace up, admiring the cutting of the blue stone. He looked at Sakura whose eyes had sharpened into slits upon seeing the necklace. She apparently found the object offensive.

"Did Syaoran give you this?" If possible, her look had darkened. "I can't remember seeing you having this before."

"Yes, he did," she said, her voice sounding strained to his ears. "He also sent me a bouquet of flowers this morning."

"Where is the bouquet?" Although the answer was clear, he could not help but ask. He could not understand why his sister would destroy the presents bestowed on her by Li, who she was reputed to love. "Lovers' quarrel?"

Sakura refused to answer and gave her brother a withering look. Thanks to him, she was once again reminded of Syaoran's demeaning actions. She still could not contemplate what she did to deserve such a treatment.

"Are you coming tonight?" she asked, determined to change the topic. She did not feel right discussing Syaoran with her brother. "Mother will be so happy that you will be staying."

"Of course, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

-

-

-

-

Sakura donned the blue gown over her chemise, letting the silky material hug her body. It was exquisite. The bodice was low yet demure, hugging her breasts. The dress shaped her figure, the colour like midnight blue.

Her hair was piled at the top of her head. Shiny and silky curls framed her face. Long and sooty eyelashes complimented her eyes, which looked like glowing emeralds.

She hesitated for a moment before clasped the sapphire necklace around her neck. After all, it did match her dress. She slowly made her way down to the ballroom; the party was already on in full-scale.

Tonight was her night, she told herself, taking in deep breaths. For some reason or another, she was haunted by some inner anxiety. There was a part of her that feared that Syaoran was not going to turn up tonight considering the way they had parted that morning. His note had not reassured her least.

Then almost by instinct, she knew that he was beside her.

"I was worried that you would not come tonight," she confessed as she took his arm.

"This is my engagement party."

With that, her fears vanished and they walked down the stairs. Immediately, they were surrounded by well-wishers, congratulating them on their upcoming marriage. She smiled and thanked them.

She could sense some of their surprise as they inquired about how they had met. Syaoran was almost silent throughout, only replying in clipped answers. Sakura's unease returned as she gazed at his stonily features.

As if sensing the tension, the people around them began to give them a wide berth as they carried on with the activities. Suddenly, he broke into a smile as he left her side, walking hurriedly to the group that had just arrived.

Touya walked up to her, handing her a glass of wine. "That would be his family," Touya explained, gesturing to the five ladies. "Your future relatives."

She took a sip of wine. The night was not going as she had expected. She could sense Syaoran's displeasure at her and she only hoped that her parents and her brother had not noticed. He had not even asked her to dance!

Syaoran walked back to her, taking hold of her hand. He nodded a greeting at Touya before turning to Sakura.

"I would like to introduce you to my family," he said as his arms encircled her waist. They made their way through the crowd. "And please do not show your displeasure on your face."

"My displeasure?" She gasped out. "What on earth are you talking-"

Before she could continue, she was face to face with his family. She swallowed a lump in her throat as she faced one of the most formidable women that she had ever seen. She prayed for courage as she braced herself. But most of all, she prayed that they would accept her.

-

-

-

A/N I could only finish this chapter after my prelims. I am so happy with my results that I decided to speed up. I can't wait for my exams to be finally over!

Please review! Your opinion matters.


End file.
